ORLANDO, FL. State inspectors emergency-closed China Lee at 2338 S Kirkman Road on April 28, citing roach and rodent activity at a restaurant that has now accumulated 67 prior inspections on record, the most of any facility flagged this week.
The closure at China Lee was the only emergency shutdown in Orange County during the week of April 27 through May 3, but it was far from the only serious finding. Inspectors documented high-severity violations at 15 Orlando restaurants during that stretch, with problems ranging from food sourced from unknown suppliers to employees working without any illness-reporting policy in place.
The Week's Worst Findings
Taverna Opa Orlando at 9101 International Drive led all facilities this week with nine high-severity violations. Inspectors cited the restaurant for having no person in charge present or performing duties, no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, inadequate shell stock identification records, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, food not cooked to required minimum temperature, and time used improperly as a public health control.
The shell stock violation at Taverna Opa is significant. Shellfish like oysters and clams are consumed raw or lightly cooked, and without proper identification records, there is no way to trace the origin of a batch if a customer becomes sick.
Bachata Breeze Restaurant at 5773 Curry Ford Road drew eight high-severity violations, including food from an unapproved or unknown source, food in poor condition or adulterated, employees not reporting illness symptoms, no employee health policy, inadequate handwashing, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and toxic chemicals stored improperly.
Food from an unapproved source is among the most serious supply-chain violations an inspector can document. When ingredients bypass USDA or FDA oversight, there is no traceable record if a customer gets sick from Listeria or Salmonella.
JoJo's Shake Bar at 9101 International Drive, Suite 1208, steps from Taverna Opa in the same tourist corridor, also received eight high-severity violations. The list included food in poor condition, food not cooked to required minimum temperature, improper handwashing technique, employees not reporting illness symptoms, no employee health policy, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, improperly stored toxic substances, and no allergen awareness demonstrated.
The allergen citation at JoJo's carries real stakes. Food allergies affect 32 million Americans, and a kitchen with no demonstrated allergen awareness has no reliable system to prevent cross-contact for a customer with a life-threatening sensitivity.
PRS Taco Palace at 717 W Smith Street was cited for seven high-severity violations, including no person in charge present, food from an unapproved source, improper handwashing technique, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, no consumer advisory, improperly stored chemicals, and no employee health policy. Inspectors also noted improper sewage or wastewater disposal, an intermediate violation that compounds the contamination risk from the handwashing and food sourcing failures.
Landmark Center / Omega Deli at 315 Robinson Avenue received seven high-severity violations including a citation for parasite destruction procedures not followed, food from an unapproved source, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, improper handwashing technique, improperly stored or identified toxic substances, no employee health policy, and employees not reporting illness symptoms. The facility also had an improper sewage disposal citation.
Bento at 863 N Alafaya Trail drew seven high-severity violations: no employee health policy, improper handwashing technique, food from an unapproved source, inadequate shell stock identification records, parasite destruction procedures not followed, time used improperly as a public health control, and improperly stored toxic chemicals.
China Lee's five high-severity violations included no employee health policy, inadequate handwashing, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and improperly stored toxic chemicals. The facility also had intermediate violations for improper sewage disposal, improperly cleaned multi-use utensils, and single-use items being reused.
Corazon Cocina Mexicana at 6800 Visitors Circle was cited for six high-severity violations including no allergen awareness, food from an unapproved source, improper handwashing technique, no consumer advisory, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, and no employee health policy.
Kabsah at 9436 S Orange Blossom Trail received six high-severity violations, including food from an unapproved source, improperly stored toxic chemicals, inadequate handwashing, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, no consumer advisory, and no employee health policy.
Orient Cafe at 4525 S Semoran Boulevard was cited for six high-severity violations including inadequate shell stock identification records, no consumer advisory, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, improperly stored toxic chemicals, improper handwashing technique, and no employee health policy.
Kizuna Asian Buffet and Sushi at 12173 S Apopka Vineland Road drew six high-severity violations: no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, inadequate shell stock identification records, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, and improperly stored toxic chemicals.
El Patron at 12167 S Apopka Vineland Road, just down the road from Kizuna, also received six high-severity violations including food from an unapproved source, food not cooked to required minimum temperature, improper handwashing technique, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, no consumer advisory, and improperly stored toxic chemicals.
ATL Deli at 7427 W Colonial Drive was cited for six high-severity violations: no employee health policy, improper handwashing technique, parasite destruction procedures not followed, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, no consumer advisory, and no allergen awareness demonstrated.
Picanha's Restaurante Brasileiro at 1700 W Sand Lake Road received five high-severity violations including employees not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, food not cooked to required minimum temperature, and no allergen awareness. The facility had six intermediate violations, the most of any restaurant this week.
Volcano Hot Pot and BBQ at 5655 International Drive drew the fewest high-severity violations of any facility on this week's list, two: no person in charge present or performing duties, and improperly stored or labeled toxic chemicals.
What These Violations Mean
The most widespread violation this week was no written employee health policy, cited at 11 of the 15 facilities. The reason that citation carries high-severity status is direct: without a written policy, there is no system requiring a sick food worker to report symptoms or stay home. Norovirus, which causes roughly 20 million illnesses in the United States each year, spreads primarily through infected food handlers. The restaurants flagged for this violation this week include Bachata Breeze, China Lee, Taverna Opa, JoJo's Shake Bar, PRS Taco Palace, Landmark Center / Omega Deli, Bento, Corazon Cocina Mexicana, Kabsah, Orient Cafe, Kizuna Asian Buffet and Sushi, ATL Deli, and Volcano Hot Pot and BBQ.
Paired with that violation, several facilities were also cited for employees specifically not reporting illness symptoms. That combination, no policy and no reporting, is what investigators typically find in the background of multi-victim outbreaks. Bachata Breeze, Taverna Opa, JoJo's Shake Bar, Landmark Center / Omega Deli, Kizuna, and Picanha's Restaurante Brasileiro all carried both citations this week.
The food-not-cooked-to-temperature citation at Taverna Opa, El Patron, JoJo's Shake Bar, and Picanha's is one of the most direct pathogen-survival risks on an inspection report. Salmonella in poultry survives below 165 degrees Fahrenheit. A kitchen flagged for undercooking, alongside inadequate handwashing and no illness-reporting system, has compounding failure points with no single safeguard catching what another missed.
The parasite destruction citations at Landmark Center / Omega Deli, Bento, and ATL Deli are less commonly seen but carry serious consequences. Fish served raw or undercooked, without documented freezing procedures, can harbor Anisakis or tapeworm larvae. Neither parasite is visible to the naked eye, and neither is killed by standard refrigeration temperatures.
The Longer Record
China Lee's emergency closure this week lands against a backdrop of 67 prior inspections, the longest documented inspection history of any facility in this roundup by a significant margin. That volume of inspections across a restaurant's operating life is not unusual on its own, but the roach and rodent activity that triggered an emergency shutdown represents the most serious enforcement action the state takes short of license revocation.
Orient Cafe at 42 prior inspections and Kizuna Asian Buffet and Sushi at 41 have both accumulated decades-long inspection histories. Both were cited this week for shell stock identification failures and improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, categories that require active, ongoing kitchen management to maintain compliance. Kabsah, with 36 prior inspections, carries a food-from-unapproved-source citation this week alongside sewage disposal and improper sanitizer violations.
Bachata Breeze and PRS Taco Palace each have 32 prior inspections on record. Both were cited this week for food from unapproved sources and toxic chemicals stored improperly. Bento, at 31 inspections, and El Patron, also at 31, both received citations for unapproved food sources this week, as did Corazon Cocina Mexicana at 23 inspections.
JoJo's Shake Bar is the newest facility on this week's list, with only 9 prior inspections on record, and Volcano Hot Pot and BBQ has 10. Both drew high-severity violations despite their limited inspection histories. JoJo's eight high-severity citations in what amounts to an early phase of its inspection record is a pattern state investigators typically flag for closer follow-up scrutiny.
As of the close of this reporting period, no re-inspection results for China Lee had been posted to state records.